NASCAR » Aric Almirolahttp://www.allleftturns.com
The best NASCAR site on the web: Breaking news, drivers, races, rumors, forums, pictures, and video—with a heavy dose of attitude.Tue, 31 Mar 2015 12:10:10 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.2Finally….A NASCAR Feel Good Storyhttp://www.allleftturns.com/finally-nascar-feel-good-story/
http://www.allleftturns.com/finally-nascar-feel-good-story/#commentsTue, 08 Jul 2014 03:28:28 +0000Jimmy Machttp://www.allleftturns.com/?p=684583While some races are a thrill races, others (such as the 2014 Coke Zero 400) feel more like a family car trip from Southern Oregon to Southern California. You know the one…are we there yet? The interminable endurance test parallels the career of one Aric Almirola. My first memory of “The Cuban Missile” came from [...]

While some races are a thrill races, others (such as the 2014 Coke Zero 400) feel more like a family car trip from Southern Oregon to Southern California. You know the one…are we there yet? The interminable endurance test parallels the career of one Aric Almirola.

My first memory of “The Cuban Missile” came from a Nationwide Series race at the Milwaukee Mile in 2007. Almirola goes out and wins the pole, gets the car to the front, but because of a sponsorhip commitment, the car’s regular driver- Denny Hamlin- finishes the race. The Floridian got credit for the win, but he wasn’t even at the track for the celebration. Talk about a hollow victory.

Though he’s had success in the truck series, and did decently racing for JR Motorsports in the Nationwide Series it seems like Aric Almirola has been on the verge of success his entire career. Sunday, he finally found victory lane at Daytona. The win has a significance on several different levels.

On a personal level, Almirola is a Florida native, born 30 years ago at the Air Force base in Tampa. Growing up in the region, racing go karts since age eight, he is intimately familiar the birthplace of speed. Interestingly enough, the Air Force is one of Almirola’s sponsors. His first Sprint Cup win essentially qualifies him for his first ever chase in what has been his best NSCS to date (for all intents and purposes, this is Double A’s third full season.)

Almirola also has the distinction of piloting the famed 43 car to its first victory since 1999. The win also comes 30 years after the most famous of the 43 drivers- none other than Petty himself- got his 200th and final career win with President Ronald Reagan on hand to salute The King. Weird to think Almirola was 112 days old at the time. What is even more ironic is he is the 43rd driver to drive the 43 car, lineage that includes Petty, John Andretti, Bobby Hamilton, AJ Allmendinger and Bobby Labonte just to name a few.

It may seem like a hollow victory for Almirola, but think again of all the good cars he has run that have been wiped out in someone else’s mess, or the all the times he raced in less than competitive rides just to stay out there. From this perspective, this victory rights a lot of racing wrongs.

After weeks of writing about it, it finally happened. A longshot, Aric Almirola, won a 2014 Sprint Cup race, chaining the Chase landscape and making for a memorable and rain-shorterend weekend. Here’s the Bert Convy inspired breakdown.

Aric Almirola secures a Chase spot when he wouldn’t have received one otherwise. In Almirola’s last five starts prior to Sunday’s win, he finished 12th, 22nd, 31st, 23rd and 39th.

Now Almirola has momentum and a puncher’s chance. Dream with me.

Chicago, New Hampshire and Daytona are the first three Chase tracks. Chicago is big and fast, not like Daytona, but still fast. Dover is a short and speedy like Bristol where Almirola finished third earlier this year.

Charlotte is big and fast; Talladega is anyone’s best guess; then it’s another short track in Martinsville.

At this point, it’s house money and and a Disney inspired movie theme.

None of this happens under the old points system. Just ask David Ragan, who won this race three years ago and lost his ride at the end of that year.

Lose: Greg Biffle

Almirola became the 11th different driver to win a race. That bumps Biffle to 17th in points and on the outside of the Chase looking in at Almirola, who has 38 fewer points and one far more important victory after avoiding this mess.

And to keep the Richard Petty Motorsprots karma going, consider this: what if Marcos Ambrose wins at Watkins Glen? Ambrose was favored at the first road race of the year. RPM could have two drivers in the Chase while Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart are racing for fun in the fall.

Draw: Nascar

Two massive wrecks and one improbable win are the type of thing that makes for great TV on a holiday weekend.

Too bad the weather stunk. Qualifying was even worse, to the point Nascar may have to adjust on the fly for Talladega qualifying.

In the end, Nascar has to feel great about Richard Petty finding his way to victory lane again. The wild car win should make for a wild run between now and Richmond.

]]>http://www.allleftturns.com/nascar-win-lose-draw-coke-zero-400/feed/0Duck Commander 500 Oddshttp://www.allleftturns.com/duck-commander-500-odds/
http://www.allleftturns.com/duck-commander-500-odds/#commentsFri, 04 Apr 2014 05:00:18 +0000Dan Farkashttp://www.allleftturns.com/?p=684280 So everything in Texas is supposed to be bigger, or so NASCAR fans have heard 554,467,921 times before. The 2014 Sprint Cup season seems to embody this theme. Big sponsor. Big track. Big list of options for Sunday’s Duck Commander 500. Deep Playing Pool: Normally there are one or two clear race favorites, then [...]

Normally there are one or two clear race favorites, then a second tier. Sunday’s Duck Commander 500 is one big pool. Jimmie Johnson is the favorite at 5/1. Five drivers are at 10/1 or less. That’s far more than normal.

What might surprise Sprint Cup fans is that Joey Logano is part of that club. While points aren’t as important under the new scoring system, Logano would Chase. While many have considered Logano the next great Sprint Cup driver, the odds are starting to suggest that time could be sooner rather than later.

Big Names and Big Numbers:

There’s a deeper pool at 10/1 or better. Then there’s everyone else. Clint Bowyer, Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch are all 20/1 or worse. Say what you want about the points system, but Carl Edwards is ten points behind Dale Earnhardt Jr. Kurt Busch won last week. Clint Bowyer works with the Duck Dynasty people sponsoring the race. Maybe this is opportunity. Maybe this is easy money.

Dream A Texas Dream:

Aric Almirola has put together a few good races in a row. Marcos Ambrose would make the Chase six weeks into the 2014 Sprint Cup Season. Will either of these things hold up for 20 more races? Who knows. Are both 200/1? I know. Neither may win this week, but either could create quite the payday for someone later this 2014 Sprint Cup season.

In watching Nicole Manske (above) interview Aric Almirola about Earnhardt Ganassi Racing’s decision to shut down the No. 8 team on ESPN’s NASCAR Now, I was struck by one exchange in particular.

Let’s be clear: this is not an indictment of NASCAR or Aric Almirola but a general complaint about The Media. But, and with a nod to The Daly Planet, get a load of the following:

Manske: What have you been told about the possibility that they’ll find a sponsor down the road to get you back on the track?

Almirola: I think it’s okay. I think it’s pretty good. We’ve talked to a lot of sponsors from Daytona, and [in] just seven races, we’ve talked to a lot of sponsors, had a lot of sponsors interested in the race team, in our program, even in me, so that’s been encouraging for me, to have sponsors interested in me … I think we’ll be able to get things turned around and get back on the racetrack.

First off, the question — what has Almirola been told about the possibility that EGR will find a sponsor? The possibility? Hell, anything’s possible. I mean, it’s possible I’ll get propositioned by the hot young waitress at the Diner today. Won’t happen, but it’s possible. Really, would it have been too hard for Manske to ask Almirola a direct question? Aric, has anyone at EGR had any substantive conversations with potential sponsors within the last month?

Had Manske done so, we might have been spared Almirola’s answer, which, if you think about it, tells us absolutely nothing. I understand that Almirola is both desperately hopeful and in a difficult spot, but — he thinks the possibility is pretty good that the No. 8 will return in 2009? Right. Have I told you about the cute waitress at the Diner and how much she wants me?

]]>http://www.allleftturns.com/aric-almirola/feed/3Scott Speed Just Breathed A Small Sigh of Reliefhttp://www.allleftturns.com/scott-speed-just-breathed-small-sigh-relief/
http://www.allleftturns.com/scott-speed-just-breathed-small-sigh-relief/#commentsWed, 08 Apr 2009 20:57:49 +0000StephenEarnhardt Ganassi Racing has parked the No. 8 car driven by Aric Almirola (left). The car and Almirola, currently 37th in the overall standings, will remain sidelined until a sponsor is lined up ... or for a long time.

Earnhardt Ganassi Racing has parked the No. 8 car driven by Aric Almirola (above). The car and Almirola, currently 37th in the overall standings, will remain sidelined until a sponsor is lined up … or for a long time.

There is, perhaps, one person who takes cold comfort in this news. Scott Speed, currently 38th in owner points, now only needs to claw his way past two other drivers, not three, for a coveted spot in the top 35.